Sweetwater

PG-13

Released Apr 14, 2023

1h 54m

Biography

Drama

Sports

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List

25%

20 Reviews

Tomatometer

95%

Fewer than 50 Verified Ratings

Audience Score

Hall of Famer Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton makes history as the first African American to sign an NBA contract, forever changing how the game of basketball is played.

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DAVID

Good acting and storyline

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/25/23

Full Review

Gregor

nice movie. Osborne was great. the girl who played Gene was great, and Piven and elews were great

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/20/23

Full Review

La Tanya L

Loved the history. I wasn't aware of his name. it made me research him after the movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/18/23

Full Review

Arthur

smooth, enjoy from start to finish.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/17/23

Full Review

Kenny M

I love this movie. I thought it was great. Watching movies is really cool. Great concept.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/17/23

Full Review

Michael

Interesting and thought provoking. Great history of the sport.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/17/23

Full Review

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Martin Guigui

Director

Everett Osborne

Nathaniel 'Sweetwater' Clifton

Kevin Pollak

Abe Saperstein

Jeremy Piven

Joe Lapchick

Cary Elwes

Ned Irish

Richard Dreyfuss

Maurice Podoloff

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Sweetwater: Trailer 1

1:51

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Tim Cogshell

FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)

A perfectly affable telling of the integration of the NBA.

Apr 24, 2023

Full Review

Dwight Brown

DwightBrownInk.com

The direction, acting, script and production team are all in play, but nothing scores.

Rated: 2/4

Apr 19, 2023

Full Review

Robert Daniels

RogerEbert.com

What begins with a frame recalling “Driving Miss Daisy,” unfortunately, quickly descends into “The Legend of Bagger Vance.”

Rated: .5/4

Apr 14, 2023

Full Review

Todd Jorgenson

Cinemalogue

Somehow, a biopic about one of basketball’s most innovative and dynamic players is dull and derivative, turning this attempt to showcase the story of a pioneering Black superstar into a cinematic airball.

Feb 23, 2024

Full Review

Rick Bentley

KGET-TV (Bakersfield, CA)

Sweetwater has its problems but the main thing to keep in mind is that it turns a spotlight on a bit of history that should not be overlooked or forgotten.

Rated: B

Aug 9, 2023

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Because of the weak script the historical sports drama about breaking the racial barrier in pro basketball had no scoring power.

Rated: C+

May 17, 2023

Full Review

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Synopsis

Hall of Famer Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton makes history as the first African American to sign an NBA contract, forever changing how the game of basketball is played.

Director: Martin Guigui
Producer: Scott Pomeroy, Craig Cheek, Tom Ortenberg, Jason Duan
Screenwriter: Martin Guigui
Distributor: Briarcliff Entertainment
Production Co: Reserve Entertainment, Pasaca Entertainment, Sunset Pictures
Rating: PG-13 (Smoking|Violence|Some Racial Slurs)
Genre: Biography, Drama, Sports
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 14, 2023, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 2, 2023
Runtime: 1h 54m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)